We invite applications for a PhD student to work with Dr Federica Ragazzola, Dr Ulisse Cardini, Dr Jean-Baptiste Raina and Dr Elena Quintanilla Alcaide on “Cross-Ecosystem Connectivity of Crustose Coralline Algae (CCA) Microbiomes in Tropical Coastal Seascapes” (CCA_CONNECT).

Find the link below to submit your application!

About the organisation:

This PhD opportunity in marine microbial ecology is a collaborative project between the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (SZN) and the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology (MPI-MM), two prestigious institutions at the forefront of marine research.

The Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (SZN) – National Institute of Marine Biology, Ecology, and Biotechnology is an internationally renowned research center headquartered in Napoli, Italy. The PhD candidate will be primarily based at the Genoa Marine Center (GMC), a territorial seat of SZN located in Genoa (Italy). GMC focuses on marine biodiversity research and conservation strategies, providing a vibrant international and interdisciplinary research environment in one of Italy’s key coastal cities for marine science.

The Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology (MPI-MM) in Bremen was founded in 1992, and it is part of the Max Planck Society. Located on the University of Bremen (Germany) campus, the institute is a world-leading facility for studying marine microorganisms, from coastal areas to the deep sea.

About the project:

Tropical coastal ecosystems are rapidly transforming under climate change and coastal development. Crustose coralline algae (CCA) are foundational reef builders that stabilize substrates, promote reef accretion, and induce larval settlement in corals and other invertebrates — yet their role as components of coastal carbon budgets remains largely unquantified. CCA skeletons host diverse microbial communities that likely regulate carbon fluxes, calcification and coral recruitment, but how these microbiomes are structured by host identity, skeletal mineralogy and cross-ecosystem connectivity is unknown.

This project will address three main objectives:

• Aim 1 – Host vs. environment in microbiome assembly: Characterise CCA-associated microbiomes across dominant taxa, skeletal mineral environments and ecosystem types (mangrove, seagrass, reef) to assess the relative roles of host identity and environmental context in shaping microbial community structure.
• Aim 2 – Microbiomes, connectivity and carbon fluxes: Quantify how ecosystem type and spatial connectivity influence CCA carbon fluxes (O₂, DIC, DOC) and associated microbial communities, with a focus on DOC-specialist lineages as mechanistic links between connectivity and carbon cycling.
• Aim 3 – Settlement cues and connectivity: Evaluate how cross-ecosystem connectivity modulates the prevalence of settlement-promoting CCA microbiome assemblies across mangrove–seagrass–reef corridors.

Research will be conducted within the SeaStrong Horizon Europe project, across sites in Belize, the Seychelles, and Fiji — spanning gradients of strong to weak physical connectivity. The student will be embedded in an active international consortium, with access to environmental monitoring, hydrodynamic modelling, and field logistics through SEASTRONG partners.

Your qualifications:

You should have an MSc degree in marine biology, microbiology, ecology, or a related field. A background in microbial ecology and/or marine biogeochemistry is essential, along with experience in molecular biology techniques (DNA extraction, PCR, amplicon sequencing) and willingness to conduct fieldwork in remote tropical locations. Familiarity with bioinformatics tools for microbiome analysis and multivariate statistics is desirable. You should be fluent in spoken and written English and able to work both independently and within an international team.

What we offer:

A fully funded three-year PhD scholarship within a vibrant, international and interdisciplinary research environment, with fieldwork opportunities across three tropical regions and training in microbial ecology, marine biogeochemistry, and bioinformatics. At the GMC-SZN we strive for gender and diversity equality and welcome applications from all backgrounds.

How to apply:

To apply, please follow this link and the guidelines therein.

The closing date for applications is May 21st, 2026 h. 12.00.